Picking device for mesh placing machine



Dec. 20, 1966 c. J. HELTZEL 3,292,509

PIGKING DEVICE FOR MESH PLACING MACHINE Filed March 27, 19 64 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Carl J. Heltzel FIG.I.

ATTORNEYS Dec. 20, 1966 c. J. HELTZEL 3,292,509

PICKING DEVICE FOR MESH PLACING MACHINE Filed March 27, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FY MQLM Dec. 20, 1966 c. J. HELTZEL 3,292,509

PICKING DEVICE FOR MESH PLACING MACHINE Filed March 27, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG 5 FIG.6.

INVENTOR Carl J. Heltzel United States Patent M 3,292,509 PICIHNG DEVICE FOR MESH PLACING MACHINE Carl J. Heltzel, 523 Country Club Drive, Warren, Ohio 44484 Filed Mar. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 355,195 7 Claims. (CI. 9439) The present invention relates to picking device for mesh placing machine, and more particularly relates to a picking device useful in connection withrmy co-pending application entitled Mesh Placing Machine, filed September 23, 1963, Serial No. 310,731, now Patent No. 3,262,376.

In that application a form of picking device is illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7. The picking device of this present application is in substitution of the picking device of that prior co-pending application.

So much of the structure of the mesh placing machine of the prior application is illustrated to show the relationship between the machine and the device of the pres ent invention, it being understood that the picking device of the present invention is carried by the member 40 of the prior application or by some other equivalent member of a mesh placing machine.

It is an object of the invention to provide an eflicient device for picking up the sheets of mesh from stacks such as 23 and 23 illustrated in the prior application.

However, in actual practice these stacks of mesh are never as uniformly contained as illustrated inasmuch as the same are handled by cranes several times from the supplier to their final positions on the mesh carrier, as shown in the said FIGURE 4 of the prior application.

Hence another object of the present invention is to not only pick up irregularly stacked sheets of mesh, but also to properly orient the irregularly stacked mesh to a correct attitude in space with coincides with the delivery of the mesh to a correct position over the freshly poured concrete slab, owing to the desirability of adjusting successive mesh sheets to uniform positions relative to the center line of the road or the center line between side forms, the object being to insure that the pieces of mesh from the two stacks shall be properly positioned on the slab.

A further object of the invention is to provide pick up devices having numerous mesh supporting and pusher members relatively located to stop members to engage, push and support the mesh at numerous spaced points over the entire area of the mesh rather than simply in the four places, as indicated in the prior application.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a central single operating means for actuating all of said numerous supporting members for simultaneous operation and also for cooperation with stop members which are in fixed relation to the support members, which latter have projecting parts movable relatively to the bars of the mesh to extend beneath said bars in the act of supporting the mesh.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a picking device involving relatively movable frames respectively carrying the stop members and support members to the end that one set of members may move laterally incident to shifting of its frame to cause entrained bars of the mesh to be shifted over against the complemental 3,292,509 Patented Dec. 20, 1966 .vention will be more fully described hereinafter, and

will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a picking device for mesh placing machine constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the picking device with parts shown in broken lines in successive positions and showing a mesh sheet as delivered upon the roadway under construction.

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view of the machine equipped for laying mesh from two stacks.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a single unit picking device in position prior to lowering upon a mesh stack.

FIGURE ,5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on an enlarged scale on the line 5-5 in FIGURE 4.'

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectiontaken on the line 66 in FIGURE 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 20 indicates side forms between which the concrete is poured and 23 in FIGURE 2 shows a mesh sheet as delivered by the mesh placing machine upon the concrete of the road under construction.

A platform 24 mounted on rollers 26 is adapted to carry one or more stacks of mesh material or sheets, two such stacks 23 and 23 being illustrated in FIG- URE 3 The arms 28 and 29 of a swing frame have at their lower ends bearings 30, 31 afiixed to a rock shaft 32 mounted on or adjacent the platform, such rock shaft being being driven by an appropriate motor 35.

The arms 28 have bearings 36, 37 receiving the journals 38 and 39 of a load support member 40 extending transversely of the roadway movable through the are indicated in FIGURE 2 in transferring mesh sheets from the piles or stacks 23, 23 to the roadway.

This load support member is preferably reinforced by a truss 41. Beneath the load support member 40 and aflixedthereto as by welding are spaced beams, preferably I-beams 42, 43 and 42 43 which support the novel frames of the invention as more particularly seen in FIGURES 4, 5 and 6.

Welded to the base flanges of the I-beams are horizontal flanges 72 of fixed transverse bars 73 constituting with the longitudinal I-beams a rectangular fixed frame. The vertical transverse bars 73 have welded or otherwise affixed thereto stop pins or lugs 74 which project down at intervals along the lengths of the bars 73 to act as stops for longitudinal bars 23 of the mesh sheet. As shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 the other intersecting bars of the mesh sheet are indicated at 23 Cooperating with the stop lugs or stop members 74 are vertical pusher pins 75 having horizontal support flanges 7 5 projecting in spaced relation below lateral slide bars 76 to which the shanks of the pins 75" may be welded with the horizontal support flanges 75 extending at a lower horizontal level with respect to the lower ends of the stop 3 lugs 74, all as shown in FIGURES 5 and 6. The members 75 and 75 together constitute hooks.

Bolted or otherwise affixed to the lateral slide bars 76 are brackets 77 having upper horizontal flanges upon which are received and supported channel or other beams 78, 79 slidably supported for lateral movement back and forth on the horizontal flanges 72 of the fixed transverse bars 73.

Accordingly, these channel or other beams 78, 79 together with the entrained slide bars 76 constitute a slide frame carrying the hooks 75 75 relatively to the fixed stop lugs 74.

The slide frame is connected to a yoke 80 having pivotal or other connection 81 to the ram 82 of a hydraulic motor 83 carried by the load support member 40.

As indicated in FIGURE 4 the load member at the left end thereof is broken away to indicate that it may be continued over the second stack 23 of mesh sheets and carry other fixed and slidable frames for picking up and aligning mesh sheets from the stack 23.

In operation, when the load support member 40 is swung over to the positions shown at the left in FIG- URE 2, the picking device will be brought into contact with the uppermost sheet or sheets of mesh from one or more stacks 23*, 23. In this position the hooks 75 75 will be in an open or spaced relation with respect to the stop lugs 74 so that when lowered the stop lugs 74 will enter the interstices of the top mesh sheet at one side of the bars 23 and the hooks 75 75 will enter interstitial spaces of the top mesh sheet at relatively opposite sides of the mesh bars 23?.

Thereupon the hydraulic motor 83 is actuated to cause the hooks 75 75 to move laterally of the mesh, encounter the rods 23, push the same against the stop lugs 74 and at the same time enter the horizontal support flanges 75 below the bars 23* so as to lift and support the top mesh sheet incident to the raising movement of the load member 40. The stop lug 74 will be located in proper positions so that when the mesh sheet is so moved it will be correctly aligned whereby it is in perfect position for placement on the concrete.

Basically the unit of the present invention solves one of the problems of handling mesh which is due to the extreme flexibility of the mesh sections. These sections are usually fifteen feet long and approximately eleven and one-half or twelve feet wide. The longitudinal members or bars 23 of the mesh are the heavier and the transverse bars 23 of the mesh are merely used to space and hold the longitudinal bars in proper relation. Therefore, the transverse bars are subject to extreme bending and even kinking which is most undesirable.

Inasmuch as the picking device of this invention engages the mesh at a plurality of spaced points, both longitudinally and laterally, during transit the mesh will be maintained against excessive sagging which might interfere with the correct placement of the mesh on the concrete slab.

Although I have disclosed herein the best form of the invention known to me at this time, I reserve the right to all such modifications and changes as may come within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with a mesh placing machine a pick-up device comprising (a) relatively substantially horizontally movable frames,

(b) means adapted to support said frames from the machine,

(c) means operatively connected to at least one of said frames for effecting relatively substantially horizontal movement of the frames,

(d) cooperating pairs of stop and pusher members on said frames and projecting down from the frames for entry into the interstices of a top mesh sheet for subis horizontally shifted to cause closing of the pairs of members against opposite sides of an included bar of the mesh sheet to ensure orientation of the sheet, and

(e) one member of each pair having horizontally a projecting part for underlying the bars to support the bars and the mesh when the frames are subsequently lifted by machine action.

2. A pick-u device as claimed in claim 1 in which the pusher members move in a direction substantially transversely of said road.

3. A pick-up device as claimed in claim 1 in which said pusher members are in the form of hooks having substantially vertical pusher portions and substantially horizontal support portions for engaging beneath the mesh bars incident to the pushing action of the bars against sequent relative horizontal movement when a frame the stop members.

4. For use with a mesh placing machine. including a load support member, a pick-up device comprising (a) a laterally stationary frame adapted to be aflixed to the load support member,

(b) stop members carried by and depending from the stationary frame and adapted to enter interstices of the mesh sheets,

(c) a substantially horizontally movable frame associated with the stationary frame,

(d) pusher members on and depending from the movable frame in relation to the stop members to cause pushing of the bars of the mesh against the stop members into a correct oriented position,

(e) said pusher members including portions to engage beneath and support the bars during subsequent lifting by machine action, and

(f) means on the stationary frame for moving the movable frame and the pusher members in a substantially horizontal direction after the stop and pusher members have entered the interstices of the mesh.

5. For use with a mesh placing machine, a pick-up device comprising (a) a horizontally stationary frame,

(b) numerous stop members on and projecting downwardly from the stationary frame to enter interstices of the mesh,

(0) a substantially horizontally movable frame cooperating with the first mentioned frame,

(d) numerous pusher means on and extending down from the movable frame pairing with the stop members for entering interstices of the mesh,

(e) means on the stationary frame for moving the movable frame and the entrained pusher members in a substantially horizontal direction after the stop and pusher members have entered the interstices of the mesh to push the included bars and entrained mesh towards the stop members, and

(f) said pusher means having horizontally a projecting part for underlying the bars to support the bars and the mesh when the frames are subsequently lifted by machine action.

6. For use with a mesh placing machine, a pick-up device comprising (a) pairs of frames relatively movable in a substantially direction laterally of a roadway,

(b) pairs of stop and pusher members carried by and pro ecting downwardly from said frames for entering interstices of mesh sheets at opposite sides of bars thereof for shifting the mesh sheets laterally into a correctly oriented position,

(c) means on one of said frames for moving the other of said frames and the pusher members in a substantially horizontal direction after the stop and pusher members have been entered into the interstices of the mesh, and

(d) each of said pusher members having a projecting part for underlying the bars to support the bars 5 6 and the mesh when the frames are subsequently bars and laterally shifting the mesh in a horizontal lifted by machine action. direction int-o correctly oriented positions when the 7. For use with a mesh placing machine including a slide frame is moved. load receiving member, a pick-up device comprising 1 (a) a frame adapted to be fixed to the load receiving 5 References Clted y the Exammer q bl f rd b1 d b h fix d UNITED STATES PATENTS g i a e fame a Y came y t e 1,780,463 11/1930 Coons 94-39 2,175,240 10/1939 Arthur 94-39 (0) means on the fixed frame for sliding said slidable 2 182 302 12/ 1939 Nelson 94-5 1 frame m a substantially horizontal direction relative to the fixed frame, and 10 3,068,766 12/ 1962 Houck 94-51 ((1) pairs of stop and pusher members mounted in HQRI p cooperative relation on said frames so that they C ES OCONNELL P'lmary Examiner project downwardly from said frames for entering BYERS, Assistant Examinerinterstices of the mesh at Opposite sides of mesh 15 

1. FOR USE WITH A MESH PLACING MACHINE A PICK-UP DEVICE COMPRISING (A) RELATIVELY SUBSTANTILLY HORIZONTALLY MOVABLE FRAMES, (B) MEANS ADAPTED TO SUPPORT SAID FRAMES FROM THE MACHINE, (C) MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID FRAMES FOR EFFECTING RELATIVELY SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT OF THE FRAMES, (D) COOPERATING PAIRS OF STOP AND PUSHER MEMBERS ON SAID FRAMES AND PROJECTING DOWN FROM THE FRAMES FOR ENTRY INTO THE INTERSTICES OF A TOP MESH SHEET FOR SUBSEQUENT RELATIVE HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT WHEN A FRAME 